Chennai, Feb. 16 -- Highlights:

* A simple bile acid blood test could prevent stillbirths in women with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP)

* The blood test could also help avoid unnecessary preterm //births

* The discovery is an important step forward in the diagnosis and management of liver disorders during pregnancy, suggests a new study

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is a liver disorder that occurs in pregnant women, characterized by the build-up of bile acids in the blood and the symptoms include itching. ICP affects approximately 5,300 pregnancies in the UK, annually, and more than 14 every day. It was earlier believed that higher risks of stillbirth are related to increases in bile acid concentration. There...